


Rehab

by Dearly_Divided



Category: Far Cry 5
Genre: Alternate Universe, Emotional Manipulation, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, I don't know where I was going with this., Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Jealousy, Multi, Murder, Polyseed (Far Cry), Pre-Relationship, Rehab AU, Staci as a dirty cop, The project at Eden's Gate as a rehab centre, Unhealthy Relationships, the Deputy is an ex con
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-10
Updated: 2019-05-10
Packaged: 2020-02-29 14:29:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18780148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dearly_Divided/pseuds/Dearly_Divided
Summary: “It’s rehab, Staci, not camp getaway,” she muttered. “How do you think it’s going?”





	Rehab

**Author's Note:**

> So this was a request I had on tumblr (@Seedlingsinner), hope you guys enjoy!

“So, Rook, how’re things?” Staci asked, leaning back in his seat to appraise her. “You’re looking good.”

Rook met his stare with a saccharine smile of her own, fluttering her eyelashes for dramatic effect, “You mean how’re things since you blackmailed me into going to rehab? I thought you cops were supposed to be morally upstanding citizens.”

Staci snorted, “C’mon Rook, you and me both know I’ve never been a by the books kind of guy, especially where you’re concerned. You aren’t still mad at me, are you?”

Rook shrugged, breaking his gaze as her eyes drifted up to glance up at the security camera in the corner. No doubt _he_ was watching, there wasn’t a corner in this damned place that wasn’t under surveillance. “Trust me to get the dirty parole officer,” she said after a beat of silence. 

“Oh, I’m sorry, did you want to go back to prison?” Rook fixed him with a withering glare, and the smug bastard smirked, tipping his seat back and resting his hands behind his head. “Didn’t think so. It might surprise you Rook, but I did this for your own good, and I’d do it again. Now, stop evading the question.” 

“It’s rehab, Staci, not camp getaway,” she muttered. “How do you think it’s going?”

“ _Rook_ ,” he warned.

She sighed, Rook knew she shouldn’t antagonise him like that. Even Staci had his limits, limits she knew well enough not to cross. In all fairness, he _was_ the first visitor she’d had since she’d been admitted into Eden’s Gate just over a month ago. “It’s fine, Staci. Lots of group therapy, holding each other’s hands and talking about the fucked-up things we did while we were high or drunk and clapping in moral support when someone cries. Then there’s the praying, which I wouldn’t mind so much if it didn’t go for like an entire _hour_ every day _._ Food’s good, though. Personally, I think the chef has a crush on me, she keeps slipping me extra dessert when no-one’s looking.” 

He actually laughed at that, and Rook was secretly pleased, it was good to know she hadn’t lost her touch. “I’m glad, but that wasn’t what I asked. How are _you_ doing?” 

“It’s good to be clean again, I guess. I’m fine, Staci…” she trailed off, smiling softly. “They’re looking after me, at least.”

The answering smile she received was genuine and warm. He brought his seat back down so all four legs were on the floor and reached across the table to touch her arm. “Rook, I-“ 

He stopped short, his fingers hovering half an inch away from her skin as the door to the room was flung open. Faith Seed was standing in the doorway, flanked as she often was by two of her assistants. 

It took all of a millisecond for Faith assess the scene before her, her blue eyes narrowing the slightest fraction as she spied Staci’s outstretched arm drifting over Rook’s. Like two teenagers caught in the act Staci quickly straightened up, yanking his arm away from Rook like she’d burned him.

Faith smiled, turning her attention to Rook.

“Rook, John wanted me to come find you. It’s time for your session together.”

Rook nodded, already pushing her chair away from their table so she could stand.

Staci shot her a strange, almost panicked look as he jumped to his feet. “But I just got here, visiting hours are from one pm to two, surely-" 

Faith cut him off with a single hand raised in the air, “Mr Pratt-“

“Deputy Pratt,” he growled. Rook bit back a smirk. Dirty cop or not, Staci wouldn’t let anyone forget his beloved epithet.

It was almost impressive the amount of derision Faith could convey in a single smile. “ _Deputy_ Pratt, Rook is here to heal. We are here to give her the space and the protection to do that away from the negative influences of the outside world. Routine is important, especially in the early days. You can come and visit Rook again in the next few weeks, if you would like, but for now she has an appointment. Rook?” she offered the other woman her hand expectantly.

Rook threw Pratt a sheepish look, “Good seeing you again, Staci. Really.” 

Staci could only stand and watch as Rook’s fingers twined with Faith’s and the shorter woman led her from the room. 

It was only when they almost at John’s office that Rook spoke up. “I don’t normally see John until four-thirty.” She always went last as her sessions with John tended to run over time, and John wanted the freedom to indulge her without worrying about his other patients. 

Faith didn’t look at her, but the corners of her lips quirked up ever so slightly. “Joseph was concerned about the effect your parole officer would have on your recovery.”

So he _had_ been watching.

“And I don’t think John will mind, do you?”

xxx

Eden’s Gate wasn’t exactly what Rook had expected from a rehab centre. For starters, it looked more like a luxury health and wellbeing spa than a clinic. The place was huge, beautiful, nestled in the wilderness of Montana, far away from the stress and hustle and bustle of city life. There were heated pools and saunas, a yoga studio, a fully equipped gym, and a church tacked onto the back. Rook had never seen anything like it. 

She had no idea how she managed to land a place here. It must have cost a fortune, but she never saw a bill, and Staci certainly didn’t make enough on his salary to afford it (even with the bribes), but no one ever brought it up and Rook never asked. 

If Pratt was going to force her into rehab, she’d take Eden’s gate over some dingy fucking clinic any day of the week. 

Joseph Seed and his family had welcomed Rook with open arms.

She’d known Eden’s Gate wasn’t your average run of the mill rehab program when Joseph had stayed by her side as she went through withdrawal. It was part of the process, she was later told. Joseph always visited new patients during the first week when they purged the drugs and alcohol from their system. It hadn’t exactly felt like routine to Rook when he’d taken a sponge to her brow, blotting away the sweat from her fever as she shook with chills. Being totally honest with herself, Rook didn’t really remember a lot from that first week, but she remembered Joseph singing softly to her as she wept in his arms, begging for any kind of relief. He sang Amazing Grace, of all things. 

Sometimes, when Rook had trouble sleeping (a delightful by-product of her time incarcerated) she found herself humming the tune. It helped, not always, but enough.

Eden’s Gate had only one hard and fast rule. You could stay as long as you wanted, so long as you were _committed_ to your recovery. If you relapsed, if you were found with so much as a hint of _any_ illicit substances you were out on your ass, no second chances, no nothing. Zero tolerance. The Project wouldn’t risk the wellbeing of the vulnerable in their care for one wayward soul.

Of course, routine and structure were highly encouraged, as were Faith’s group therapy, the one on one sessions with John and exercise with Jacob, but ultimately Rook was free to go and do as she pleased.

Which is why no one seemed to raise an eyebrow when Rook slipped from her room one night, well past midnight, dressed in an old tank top and her leggings. A few people nodded in greeting as she passed on her way to the gym, but no one said a word after catching the stone-cold set of her face.

The memory had come out of nowhere, creeping insidiously into an otherwise pleasant dream, poisoning it until she’d woken with a start. All she could see was his eyes, mocking and triumphant and that stupid fucking smirk and Rook hadn’t been able to stop the shaking rage that swept through her. 

With no access to the drugs she’d previously craved (thank god for that), Rook knew there was only one thing she could do to calm down enough to allow her to sleep, which was channelling that rage through _less destructive_ methods – hence her impromptu trip to the gym.

That was where Jacob Seed found her, sweat dripping from her face as she beat the absolute hell out one of the punching bags. For a moment he was content to watch her, she really did have an excellent technique, if untrained. That was until he noticed that her hands were bare, Rook hadn’t bothered to wrap them. More than that, they were bleeding, and she seemed too far gone to notice.

“Rook,” he called out, his voice echoing. 

No response.

“Rook, stop it. You’re gonna hurt yourself,” he tried again, crossing the floor cautiously with his eyes firmly fixed on her form. He might as well have been a fly on the wall for all the attention Rook paid him, pounding harshly into the vinyl with a silent snarl.

He frowned as he came to a stop in front of her. “Pup, listen to me, listen to my voice, you _need_ to stop, you’re bleeding-“ he placed his hand on her shoulder and it was like a switch suddenly flipped. Without warning Rook turned on him, her fist flying towards his face with a blood curdling scream.

Jacob dodged the blow and launched himself bodily at Rook, tackling her to the ground. She trashed against him as he held her down, caging her tightly against him. “Rook, I’m not going to hurt you! You’re safe pup, it’s just me. You need to calm down.”

It took a minute before Rook’s breathing started to even out and her body relaxed against his. The entire time Jacob’s eyes were on her face, studying it until he was satisfied that she’d returned to herself.

“There you are,” he said, something suspiciously like a smile gracing his face. That was impossible though, Rook knew Jacob Seed didn’t smile. He smirked, he growled, and he glowered, but he certainly never _smiled_. It was gone a moment later, replaced with a more familiar scrutinising expression. “You wanna tell me what this was all about pup? You damn near mangled your hands on that bag.” He made no move to let her go, nor to get up off the floor. She was stuck there until she spilled.

Rook breathed out as she met his piercing blue gaze, “He _laughed_ , Jacob. He was proud.”

Jacob sighed, reluctantly pushing himself away from her as he made his way to his feet. Rook felt a wave of shame crash through her, but before she could open her mouth to speak, to apologise for her stupidity, Jacob offered her his hand.

“C’mon, honey. Let’s get you fixed up.”

xxx

“Staci,” Rook acknowledged, taking her seat across from him. “How’re things?”

“Aren’t I supposed to be the one asking you that?” he countered, folding his arms across his broad chest. If he noticed that they’d moved from their private room to the much larger, more public visitors’ room, he didn’t pass comment. 

“Things are fine. They’re taking care of me, I’m clean, I’m working through some stuff. What more would you like to know?” 

Staci’s eyes narrowed as he studied her. “You didn’t show up last week. You didn’t call.”

Rook shrugged, willing herself not to glance up at that damned camera. “Last week wasn’t great, Joseph thought it’d be best if I abstained from visitors. This is rehab, Staci, not a wellness retreat.”

He scoffed, clearly not pleased with her answer. Rook felt a familiar stab of guilt and bit back a sigh. 

“I’m sorry, okay? I’m trying, Staci, really, I am. I want to get better, but it’s not a walk in the park for me either.”

His gaze softened somewhat, “I know. I miss you, Rook. I want you to come home.”

The unspoken words hung heavy in the air between them.

Rook smiled tightly. “I will, when I’m ready.”

xxx

“It wasn’t self-defence,” she murmured, so quiet that she wasn’t even sure he heard her.

She’d been in his office for well over an hour, but neither of them paid any attention to the clock on the wall. They finished their sessions when Rook had confessed a secret no one else knew, however long that took. It was almost a game by that stage, Rook offering up meaningless points of trivia, occasionally an outright lie, just to see if John would take the bait. Sometimes he humoured her, so long as eventually she relented to him. By now he knew her well enough to know when she was lying to him.

According to John, by unburdening themselves of the sins and transgressions that led them down the path to addiction they could start to heal. By recognising where they went wrong, they could avoid the same decisions in the future. 

Or that’s how it had started at least, their sessions had long since diverted from that path. Her addiction was far less interesting to him than the rest of her past. John seemed fixated on Rook, unearthing what had shaped her, what made her tick. She wasn’t sure John would be happy until she was laid entirely bare before him, but strangely, she didn’t mind as much as she probably should. 

“What was that, my dear?” he asked, leaning forward, looking only mildly interested if not for the strange glint in his impossibly blue eyes. 

“You were a lawyer once, right?”

He nodded, “A few years back now, but yes.” She could imagine it, too. John in a suit, charming the pants off the jury while he poked and prodded holes into the opposition’s case. She would have liked to have seen him in action. 

“So you know what the penalty for first degree for murder is?” she continued.

Again, John nodded, “Life without parole.”

Rook inclined her head. “I plead self-defence, and I got a reduced sentence because of it. 10 years instead of life, I was out on parole in 5.”

A slow, almost predatory smile crossed John’s face. Rook’s stomach fluttered at the sight of it. “But it wasn’t?”

She shook her head. “No. He was a piece of shit, but he was predictable, easy to manipulate. I knew what he would do when he had me alone, so it was easy to act like it had been an act of self-defence,” she shrugged like it wasn’t an act of cold-blooded murder she was discussing. “I knew exactly what I was doing. I had it planned out, right down to which knife I was going to use to stab him.”

The look on John’s face was almost _ravenous_ as he crept closer still, until there was only an inch or two between them. “Is this your confession, darling?” he purred.

“No, because confession implies that I did something wrong, something I’m ashamed of. I don’t regret what I did. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.” 

John chuckled, pushing out of his seat to lean over her, bringing his lips to her ear. “Good,” he growled, his breath making the tiny hairs on the shell of Rook’s ear stand on end. Rook’s breath caught, but she made no move to push him away. Then, abruptly he pulled away, straightening his collar and taking a seat. “But you know the rules, dearest. You’re mine until you offer me a confession.”

Rook just smiled.

xxx

Staci was fuming before Rook even set foot in the visitors’ room.

“What the fuck, Rook?!” he snapped as she sat down opposite him, not even bothering with pleasantries. “I haven’t heard from you in _weeks_! Do you have any fucking clue how worried I’ve been?! Not to mention, I’m still your parole officer! You’re my responsibility, Rook, don’t forget that.”

Staci was blissfully unaware of the hulking figure in the back corner of the room, watching their interaction with narrowed eyes. Rook didn’t feel a need to enlighten him, either. Jacob would keep his distance unless he decided that she needed his assistance. Of course, Jacob wasn’t the only one watching. “I don’t know what you want me to say, Staci. _You_ brought me here, _you_ told me you wanted me clean.”

“So you could come _home_ , Rook.” He wasn’t dancing around it this time.

Her stomach clenched uncomfortably. “I will, when I’m-“

He cut her off with a snarl, “No, fuck that, Rook! You’ve been here for months, you’re clean, you’re healthy, I can take care of you now. You don’t need to be here anymore.” 

A light but pointed cough interrupted them. Both Rook and Staci turned to find Faith waiting patiently only a few feet away.

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” she said, looking anything but. “Rook, Joseph wants-“

Staci cut her off with a snarl, jabbing his finger in her direction. “No, you know what, you can fuck right off. We’re having a private conversation. _Joseph_ can wait.”

Rook blanched, shooting Faith an apologetic glance. “Staci, will you please calm down?!” she hissed, gripping his arm to pull him aside. “I’m doing good here, better than I have in a long time. I like it here, I’m not ready to leave just yet. Please, just be patient with me, okay? I’ll call you every day if that’s what you want, but this is where I need to be right now.” 

“I don’t like this, Rook,” he muttered, shooting Faith who was still waiting for her a withering glare. Her answering smile was more a baring of teeth than anything else.

Rook snorted, “Now who sounds paranoid? Staci, they’re helping me – Joseph, Jacob, John and Faith, they’re a godsend. I have to go, but I’ll see you next week, yeah?” 

“Fine.” 

xxx

She should have been prepared. It was the same day every year, after six years she should have expected it. She hadn’t even realised the date until she’d glanced across to the one of the screens on the wall of the group therapy room – this one displaying the weather forecast. 

There, displayed on the bottom corner: Monday, August 27th. 

It hit her like a ton of bricks. One moment she was fine, the next she was on the ground, sobbing as white noise filled her head. She didn’t feel Faith’s arms around her, didn’t remember her gently guiding her away from the group into one of the meditation rooms. 

A cup of something hot was pressed into her hands, and Faith had her arms around her, holding her against her chest. Rook had no idea how much time passed as Faith cuddled her, humming a soft tune and stroking her hair.

“What was it?” she asked eventually, when Rook’s sobs had subsided into sniffles.

“She killed herself today.”

Faith pressed a kiss on the crown of her head. “I’m so sorry, Rook. We should have realised this would be a trigger, we should have planned for this.”

“She was so good, and he fucking destroyed her. I was the one to find her, did you know that?” she whispered. “She was my best friend, and he took her from me.”

Faith only held her tighter.

“I’m so sorry, Rook.”

Rook just cried, clutching onto Faith like she was a lifeline.

xxx

Rook was mildly surprised when she Staci greeted her with a warm hug and a smile.

“Well hello to you too,” Rook laughed as she took her usual seat opposite him. “This is a nice change, what’s got you in such a good mood?”

“I came to apologise, I shouldn’t have let things end the way they did last week. I only want the best for you, you know that, don’t you, Rook?” He had a strange look in his eyes, but Rook dismissed it, just relieved that he hadn’t come back to fight with her some more. 

“I do,” she replied with a small smile of her own. “Even when you act like a fucking dick.” 

He chuckled good-naturedly. “I guess I deserved that.” 

“You definitely do, but for what it’s worth, I accept your apology, so long as you can accept that this is where I belong right now?”

He nodded and Rook couldn’t help the beaming smile that crept across her face.

Staci stayed the full hour, chatting aimlessly with Rook about all sorts of things. It was nice to have a somewhat normal conversation with Staci that didn’t involve drugs, prison, rehab or murder.

Just before he left, Staci pulled her into another hug, promising that he would see her soon. It was a good sign, Rook had to believe that.

xxx

Rook was halfway through her second helping of dessert, courtesy of one flirtatious chef when she spied Jacob marching towards her, a grim look on his face.

“Well hi there soldier, something I can help you with?” she asked with a grin when he stopped in front of her table, hoping to get him to break his cold stare.

She was sorely disappointed when Jacob acted as if she hadn’t even spoken. “Joseph wants to see you.” He turned and walked off, clearly expecting her to follow.

It was his blank tone that made her frown, but she complied, wordlessly trailing behind him as he led her from the dining room, down the long hallway to Joseph’s office. 

He pushed open the door and motioned for her to enter. In the back of her mind Rook felt like a little kid again, being sent to the Principal’s office for talking back to the teacher. 

Joseph was seated behind his ornate wooden desk and Rook spied John and Faith flanking him. When neither failed to acknowledge her hesitant smile she knew that something was wrong. 

“Rook, my child, take a seat,” Joseph said, gesturing to the only other empty chair as Jacob made his way to join his siblings. Confused, she obeyed. 

“Have I done something wrong?” she asked nervously, her eyes flitting between the siblings, hoping to gain some insight from their faces as to why she’d been summoned. 

Joseph sighed wearily, rubbing the bridge of his nose before meeting her gaze. “We received an anonymous tip from one of the residents, Rook, that claimed you were hiding drugs in your room.” Her heart sunk. There was no way that was true, but he wouldn’t have brought her in like this unless -“As is procedure, we conducted a thorough search of your room, and found this.” He reached down beside him and pulled out a small orange bottle, setting it on his desk.

Rook didn’t need to read the label to know what was inside. The words fell from her mouth in an awkward jumble as she stumbled to get them out. “Those aren’t mine, I swear to god, I haven’t, I-I never- please, Joseph, you have to believe me, I’m clean, I promise!”

Zero tolerance. The one and only rule Eden’s Gate residents had to follow. Suddenly Rook found it difficult to breathe. She knew that she was drawing in air in huge gasps, but it felt like none of it was reaching her lungs. She couldn’t leave, not now, not yet, she had to be here- a hand on hers brought her attention back to the present and she glanced up to find Joseph staring at her with worried eyes.

“Rook, breathe, my child.”

But even his calming words didn’t have the desired effect. “Those aren’t mine, please, I don’t want to go, I-I can’t leave, please don’t make me go!” she gasped, feeling like a fish choking out of water. Unbidden and unwanted, tears began to fill her eyes.

“Oh for fuck’s sake, move Johnny!” Jacob growled, shoving his younger brother aside as he walked toward Rook, crouching down beside her and yanking her chair so she was facing him.

“Eyes on me, pup. Ignore them, it’s just me and you. Breathe in for four, out for four,” he paused, and Rook did her best to follow his orders. “Good girl, keep breathing, slow and steady for me, yeah?” 

It took a minute, but eventually her shaking subsided and her breathing levelled out.

“Forgive me, Rook, I should have clarified sooner. We know the drugs aren’t yours,” Joseph said softly, squeezing her hand. “It seems your parole officer bribed one of the cleaning staff to plant them in your room while you were otherwise occupied.”

Each word struck Rook like a blow. Staci set her up?

“We have it all on surveillance. I assume he believed that once we found them, we would evict you and return you to his care.” His words were colder than Rook had ever heard him speak, but it was nothing compared to the steely glare on his face.

Across the room she caught John’s gaze. He, like Joseph, was furious, not at her she realised, but at Staci. “He willingly risked your wellbeing to further his own selfish, greedy desires. You’re not to see him again, do you understand, my dear?” he hissed. 

Her head was spinning, and she barely managed a nod. “So I don’t have to leave? You’re not making me go?” she asked, her words barely above a whisper. John scoffed, as if the very idea was ludicrous.

Joseph smiled at her with such warmth that her heart skipped a beat. “Of course not. Your place is here, with us.”

“But why?”

It wasn’t Joseph who answered her but Faith, “Because your friend wasn’t the first to suffer at the hands of that monster.”

“You’re stuck with us now, pup,” Jacob added, smiling fondly up at her. 

Rook breathed a sigh of relief.

**Author's Note:**

> Show me some love if you liked it :)


End file.
